Depression test

There are depression tests that can be used to help assess your depression levels. The below test is based on the Patient Health Questionnaire PHQ-9. Go get a pen and some paper and look at questions 1-9 below. For each question consider over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the problems.

How to assign points for the depression questionnaire

Not at all – 0 points

Several days – 1 point

More than half the days – 2 points

Nearly every day – 3 points

Depression Questionnaire

Little interest or pleasure in doing things

Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless

Trouble falling/staying asleep, sleeping too much

Feeling tired or having little energy

Poor appetite or overeating

Feeling bad about yourself – or that you are a failure or have
let yourself or your family down.

Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper
or watching television.

Moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed.
Or the opposite – being so fidgety or restless that you have been
moving around a lot more than usual.

Thoughts that you would be better off dead or of hurting
yourself in some way.

Working out the results of your depression test

PHQ-9 scores for depression are out of 27, so add up your total and check below.

0 – 4 None/minimal symptoms

5 – 9 Mild depression

10 – 14 Moderate depression

15 – 19 Moderately severe depression

20 – 27 Severe depression

What happens next if you have a high depression score?

Our team of expert depression counselling therapists would love to hear from you so that they can start helping you with your problems and issues. Please don’t dwell on a diagnosis and focus on what you can do to improve. You can read more about depression and how we can help you.